Oppo Find X

Oppo has pioneered a range of mobile-firsts and the Oppo Find X brings another — a sliding camera module at the top of the phone. But it comes with a few compromises. Did Oppo sacrifice too much to accommodate the camera? Keep reading to find out.

The phone features an aluminum chassis with an eye-catching, glossy color scheme. Reviewers note it feels great in the hand and slips into pockets with no problem. For those with smaller hands, some reviewers found the phone a little large for one-handed use.

But the phone also lacks many features common to similarly priced phones. Major points include no waterproof rating, fingerprint scanner, headphone jack, or NFC support. This means no mobile payments and no easy authentication for sensitive apps such as bank apps or password managers.

Around front, you’ll find a 6.42-inch 1080-by-2340 pixel AMOLED display taking up an astounding 93.8% of the front of the phone. There’s no notch since they hide the camera in a pop-up mechanism that extends from the top of the phone. Their “Panoramic Arc” screen provides a similar effect to Samsung’s Galaxy S9 with curved sides.

Reviewers loved the punchy colors and rich blacks found on the AMOLED panel. There are also color temperature settings to help tweak it to your liking. There were no mentions of accidental presses or issues with the nearly bezel-free design either. Overall, whether you’re reading blog posts or playing the latest games, the screen should please.

Powered by an octa-core 2.8Ghz Snapdragon 845 processor paired with 8GB of RAM, the phone topped benchmarks for virtually every review — only coming in a close second to the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 occasionally. However, reviewers noted excessive battery drain during gaming. Overall, the phone should offer more than enough power for anything you might throw at it.

Depending on your region, you’ll find either 128GB or 256GB of internal storage. That’s more than enough for most users. But, since there’s no microSD card, you’ll have no choice but to store things in the cloud or uninstall apps should space run low.

The phone runs Android 8.1 Oreo with Oppo’s ColorOS skin. The skin was one of the biggest points of contention among reviewers. It offers a very iPhone-like experience, with no app drawer and simplified settings. But many reviewers found the software frustrating. Also, many regions will see the phone loaded with bloatware since Oppo includes their own apps for everything Google already offers an app for.

The phone’s cameras see an uptick in reviewer opinion. The dual lens 20MP and 16MP rear camera combination with a bokeh-filled portrait mode and AI-assisted photo capture impressed reviewers. Although, some of them noticed issues in low-light and with fast motion shots. Otherwise, they found the results great with plenty of detail and punchy-yet-accurate colors.

The 25MP front-facing lens also impressed, offering plenty of detail and natural colors. Unfortunately, many found the beautification modes heavy-handed or inaccurate. 

Reviewers also question the longevity of the pop-up mechanism and note it takes nearly a full second to raise. So you’re likely to miss spur-of-the-moment shots waiting for the camera to rise out of the phone. 

Many reviewers also questioned the long-term impact of pocket lint and dust on the phone’s sliding camera module. They noted that it seemed to attract a surprising amount of dust.

Since the phone lacks a fingerprint scanner, you’re left using 3D facial recognition to secure your information. While some reviewers had no issues using the feature, those with facial hair found the facial scan often would not unlock the phone. 

In another upswing, the 3730mAh battery with USB Type-C VOOC Flash Charge Technology included in the phone lasted most reviewers almost two days on a single charge. If you find yourself low on power, the phone will charge to roughly 30 percent in under an hour.

Ultimately, while the phone offers stellar specs and an industry-first approach to getting rid of the notched display trend of 2018, reviewers found the software made the phone hard to recommend. TechRadar notes, “If you’re keen on jumping on the trend early, however, then the Find X certainly has plenty of selling points. If the design appeals to you and the missing hardware features aren’t going to bother you, this is a powerful and pretty device that’s slightly ahead of the design-curve.”

Good Gear Guide was more optimistic, saying “The Find X isn’t just one of the better flagships on offer this year – it’s also one of the most refreshingly different. There’s a hidden cost accompanying the phone’s unique camera, but most will probably find it worth paying.”